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1519
Spanish Colonization of Mexico Begins
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, also known as the Conquest of Mexico, the Spanish-Aztec War, or the Conquest of Tenochtitlan was one of the primary events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. -
Jun 29, 1520
The Death of Moctezuma
Cortes had a reluctant Montezuma hauled to the roof of the palace, where he pleaded with his people to stop attacking the Spanish. Enraged, the people of Tenochtitlan threw stones and spears at Montezuma, who was badly wounded before the Spanish were able to bring him back inside the palace. According to Spanish accounts, two or three days later, on June 29, Montezuma died of his wounds. -
Period: 1540 to 1542
Mixton War
The Mixtón War was a rebellion by the Caxcan people of northwestern Mexico against the Spanish conquerors. The war was named after Mixtón, a hill in Zacatecas which served as an Indigenous stronghold. -
Period: 1550 to
Chichimeca War
The Chichimeca War is recorded as the longest and most expensive military campaign confronting the Spanish Empire and indigenous people in Mesoamerica.The Chichimeca War began eight years after the two-year Mixtón War. It can be considered a continuation of the rebellion as the fighting did not come to a halt in the intervening years. Unlike in the Mixtón rebellion, the Caxcanes were now allied with the Spanish. -
Napoleon Bonaparte
In 1808, Napoleon turned on Spain, a previous ally, during the Peninsular War, forcing the abdication of the Spanish king and replacing him with Napoleon's brother Joseph. This created a crisis and power vacuum in Spain that rippled out to its American colonies, including New Spain. -
Period: to
French Invasion of Spain in 1808
By 1808, Napoleon had installed his brother Joseph as the king of Spain and sent 118,000 soldiers across into Spain to insure his rule. Determined to bend the Spanish people to his will, he had decided to make Spain a part of his empire. He imagined they would be welcomed. -
The Hidalgo Revolt
Inspired by the American and French Revolutions, Mexican insurgents who sought independence saw an opportunity in 1808 as the king abdicated in Madrid and Spain was overwhelmed by war and occupation.The rebellion began as a peasants' and miners' movement led by a local priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, for whom it is called the Hidalgo revolt. -
Father Miguel Hidalgo "Cry of Dolores"
Hidalgo issued "The Cry of Dolores" on September 16, 1810, when he called upon the townspeople to revolt; the day is celebrated as Independence Day.Hidalgo marched on the capital with a very large, poorly organized army.Hidalgo then decided to retreat against the advice of Allende, a choice that has puzzled historians since.The retreat is considered a tactical error, leading to the suppression of the revolt and the execution of Hidalgo and Allende. -
Ignacio Allende
It was on September 16, 1810, specifically in Villa de Dolores along with Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla among others, where the uprising against the Spaniards took place. After the resignation of Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende was named Generalissimo. Unfortunately for Allende, he was betrayed by Elizondo after a trip around the country and was imprisoned in Coahuila. -
Plan of Iguala
The Plan de Iguala, drafted on February 24, 1821, proclaimed Mexico's independence from Spain, social and political equality for all inhabitants of Mexico regardless of birthplace, and Roman Catholicism as the official religion. -
Treaty of Cordoba
On August 24, 1821, representatives of the Spanish crown and Iturbide signed the Treaty of Córdoba, which recognized Mexican independence under the Plan of Iguala. -
Agustin de Iturbide
Agustin de Iturbide was a Mexican politician and soldier who fought during the Independence War, held a major role in ending the War after achieving independence from Spain, and became Emperor of Mexico.